Sealable business form construction having one or more removable field effect inserts

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a sealable business form construction that is suitable for the transmission of business communications that includes at least one removable field emitting insert. The form intermediate contains one or more separable inserts having a series of active poles that emit fields and which are provided in a self mailer configuration such as a pressure sealable mailer or direct mail communication. The self mailer of the present invention may be provided in a C or Z folded configuration and has as an exemplary insert, a magnetic material that may be provided integrally with the business form construction. The magnetic material will have a size that is generally less than one of the panels of the sealable mailer.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to business forms having removable orseparable field effect inserts, particularly inserts having magneticproperties. More particularly the present invention includes businesscommunication pieces that are adapted to be personalized and carrymessages to recipients. The message transmittal devices of the instantapplication include one or more removable or separable elements that maybe inserted into an opening within the form or alternatively disposeddirectly on the form when configured into a mailer arrangement, such asone suitable for transmission through the US Postal Service. Theparticular insert of the present invention includes those componentsthat have a field effect or force emitting qualities that may interferewith the subsequent processing, handling, stacking, sorting ordistributing of the pieces with the inserts contained therein. Theinsert of the present invention may be aligned with processing orfeeding direction of the processing or sorting equipment so as toeliminate handling difficulties. The business communication piece may beconfigured so as to form a sealable mailer such as a pressure sealablemailer having an insert that is sized less than one of the panels of themailer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Marketing collateral and creative means to deliver such collateral hasbecome increasingly more important, particularly with recent regulationsimposed by the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) as it relatesto facsimile advertising, electronic messaging and other telemarketingapplications that heretofore have been largely unregulated. Regrettably,such unfettered use of these communications tools has resulted in claimsfor protection from consumers and a desire to preserve ones privacy.

These recent legislative promulgations have thus resulted in morecareful attention to the use of such telemarketing tools, and adherenceto strict guidelines, such as the creation and maintenance of so called“DO NOT CALL” lists. Thus, in light of such regulation, thesetelemarketing activities have been curtailed to some degree therebyleaving business with few other avenues to solicit business or servicesfor their particular field of endeavor. One of the remaining bastions toprovide unsolicited communications to possible users of a service orpurchasers of a product is through the use of the mail or direct mailcommunication as it is otherwise known in the industry.

There are a number of business forms available in the market today thatare suitable for mailing or transmitting a message as well as asupplemental piece that may further the communication message or may berelated to some other activity. Exemplary products include U.S. Pat. No.5,893,512 that is used to transmit a return label, such as a returnmerchandise tag; U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,280 which provides a returnpostcard that is integral to the construction; U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,242that describes a mailer having a certified receipt for return to thesender to confirm delivery of the communication; U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,843which is used to carry a removable decal or label such as for use inautomobile registrations; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,472,044 that describes apressure seal mailer that carries a card.

Promotional items using field effect pieces such as magnets have alsobeen used previously in an effort to draw attention to ones products orservices. Magnets have been previously attached to materials and usedfor purposes of marketing and advertising. Some exemplary prior uses ofmagnets include calendars, business cards, and frames for photographs,advertising collateral and the like. One example of such a prior artconstruction is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,282. The constructionincludes a solid magnet that is attached to one end of a substrate and,placed between end edges of the substrate and before the separation lineof the adjoining substrate section. Typically such products haveincluded a substrate, such as single sheet of paper to which a magnethas been affixed such as with glue or adhesive. The magnet may then beremoved from the substrate by tearing such as along a line of weaknessso as to separate the magnet from the substrate, thus creating separatepieces.

Such promotional products are often limited in the size or overalldimensions in which the products can be presented. That is, when it isthe intention of the producer of such pieces to distribute the piecesthrough the mail, each individual piece must be sized and configured soas to be able to fit within a standard envelope, such as a standardbusiness or correspondence envelope.

However, while such pieces have been delivered previously through themails in a separate envelope, inserting promotional products with amagnet attached is often problematic as the magnet of one piece must beshielded or buffered from magnets contained on adjoining pieces, as themagnets will have a sufficient force so that the successive pieces willbe attracted to one another and thus stick together. In such asituation, particularly when using an inserter or other mechanicaldevice to load envelopes, the inserter may miss a filling sequence whena magnetic product is intended to be inserted or stuffed into anenvelope due to the stack of magnetic products sticking or clinging toone another and the inserter not having sufficient force or ability toseparate one magnet from the remainder of the stack. This situationpotentially causes a mail piece to be delivered to its recipient withoutthe benefit of the magnet as well as the economic consequence of payingsufficient postage to deliver the magnet, but not actually having themagnet delivered to the potential customer. Alternatively, the produceris faced with removing those pieces from the end of the manufacturingline and then either destroying the incomplete pieces, created excessivewaste or repositioning the envelope and any other inserts back into theline causing additional delay and expense in the form of labor.

A still further problem with such magnet promotional products manifestsitself when the promotional product is provided in an intermediate stateand then undergoes further processing such as printing or imaging. Wherethe infeed rollers of a printer are sufficiently strong to grasp andpull the magnetic materials from the stack the form may “chatter” whenbeing pulled inwardly as one magnet is dragged across similar andopposite poles to that of the magnet immediately beneath the sheet beingpulled. This can lead to a jam situation in that the pulling or feedingof the sheet stops and starts depending on the poles or fields which themagnet on the sheet being fed is encountering. Thus, the sensorcontained within the interior of the printer will not recognize that thesheet is in the proper position (the sheet has not advanced a sufficientdistance from the tray) and the printer signals a jam condition to theoperator which causes frustration and delay in resetting the printer andform product.

In order to overcome this situation, where magnetic promotional piecesadhere together in a stack, producers of such products have tended toeither deaden the magnet so that there are no active poles or fields inthe magnetic material as it is being processed or alternatively theproducer or processor of the promotional piece needs to insert buffer orinsulating sheets between separate forms to break up the magneticfields.

The use of insulating or buffer sheets is time consuming in that theoperator needs to first insert the sheets and then remove the sheetsfrom the end of the processing line. In addition, the insulating orbarriers sheets will have the effect of lessening the total number ofmagnet containing sheets that can be placed in a tray to be fed to suchprocessing equipment, in that the barrier or insulation sheets have athickness that is cumulative to the thickness of the magnet containingsheet, thereby requiring filling of the tray on a more frequent basis.In addition, the printer will also process the barrier sheets therebyconsuming toner or ink and increasing the cost of producing the orderfor the purchaser of the product.

In those situations where the magnets are deadened prior to stacking andfeeding or the magnetic material is deadened prior to being includedwith the form, the magnets must undergo a further processing step ofactivating the fields and/or poles so that the magnets can be used forthe intended purpose of attaching to a metallic surface prior to beingmailed. This, as expected adds additional time and cost to the overallprocess, which is ultimately passed on to the consumer in the form ofhigher prices for products and services.

Regardless of the method used, the promotional piece with the magnetattached is then placed into an outer envelope which will then shieldthe processing equipment, such as mail sorting equipment from the fieldsbeing emitted from the magnet contained within the envelope.

What is needed therefore is a business form construction having one ormore removable magnetic elements that can be fashioned into a mailerconfiguration without the need of the supplemental envelope and whichcan be fed to a processing device without encountering the difficultiesor additional processing steps required above.

Publications, patents and patent applications are referred to throughoutthis disclosure. All references cited herein are hereby incorporated byreference.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the present invention described below are notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formsdisclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodimentsare chosen and described so that others skilled in the art mayappreciate and understand the principles and practices of the presentinvention.

The present invention relates to a sealable business form intermediatehaving one or more separable field emitting inserts that may be providedintegrally with the intermediate assembly. The business form may beprovided in a C and Z folded configuration and includes adhesivepatterns to affect the sealing of the construction so as to form anoutgoing mail piece suitable for transmission through the US PostalService (“USPS”). The insert is in one exemplary embodiment composed ofa magnetic material having poles that are aligned with the direction oftravel of the processing equipment, such as printer, sorter or the like.In another exemplary embodiment, the magnetic insert is providedintegrally with the business form intermediate and has a size less thanone of the panels of the form intermediate used to making the outgoingmailer configuration.

In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a business formmailer intermediate that has at least one field emitting insert isdescribed and includes a generally quadrate substrate that has first andsecond side edges and top and bottom ends and first and second faces.The substrate has first and second fold lines running substantiallyparallel to the top and bottom ends and generally perpendicular to thefirst and second side edges. The first and second fold lines are used todivide the substrate into first, second and third panels. The substratehas a first thickness.

The first panel of this embodiment is defined by an area between the topend and the first fold line and first and second side edges. The secondpanel is defined by an area between the first and second fold lines andfirst and second side edges with the third panel being defined by anarea between the bottom end, the second fold line and the first andsecond side edges. In this construction, the second panel is disposedbetween the first and third panels.

First and second longitudinally extending lines of weakness are providedin this construction and run substantially parallel to the first andsecond side edges and are used to form first and second marginal stubportions. The stub portions are removable so as to enable the opening ofthe mailer intermediate.

Continuing with the presently described embodiment, first, second andthird transversely extending lines of weakness are also provided and runsubstantially parallel to the top and bottom ends and perpendicularly tothe first and second longitudinally extending lines of weakness. Atleast one of the transversely extending lines of weakness is disposedinwardly of one of the top and bottom ends, and each of the first,second and third panels has one transversely extending line of weakness.

The business form mailer construction of this embodiment is providedwith least first and second adhesive patterns. The first adhesivepattern is disposed on a portion of the first face of the substrate withat least a part of the first adhesive pattern being provided in each ofthe first and second marginal stub portions for holding at least two ofthe first, second and third panels together. The second adhesive patternis disposed on a portion of the second face of the substrate with atleast a part of the second adhesive pattern provided in each of thefirst and second marginal stub portions for holding at least two of thefirst, second and third panels together along with the first adhesivepattern to form an outgoing mailer assembly.

The business form intermediate of this embodiment also includes a fieldemitting piece that has a magnetic component. The magnetic component hasa size that is less than the area of one of the first, second and thirdpanels. The field emitting piece also has a second thickness that isdifferent from that of the first thickness. The piece is covered by atleast one of the first, second or third panels when the substrate isformed into the outgoing mailer assembly.

In a still further embodiment of the present invention, a stack ofbusiness communication intermediates for reducing processingdifficulties having field emitting magnetic inserts is described andincludes a series of substantially quadrate substrates, with each of thesubstrates having first and second side edges and top and bottom endsand first and second faces. At least one field emitting magnetic insertis provided on each of the substantially quadrate substrates and each ofthe field emitting magnetic inserts has magnetic poles. The magneticpoles of each insert are disposed so as to be in a parallel relationshipwith one another while the substrates with the insert are in the stack.The inserts are positioned on each of the substantially quadratesubstrates when in the stack so as to be in parallel alignment with adirection of feeding of processing equipment.

In connection with the foregoing embodiment, the substrate may beprovided in a portrait or landscape arrangement for further handling andprocessing by the processing equipment. The particular feed arrangementwill depend on the particular equipment that is being utilized to carryout the further processing steps contemplated.

In a still further embodiment of the present invention, method ofprocessing a business form intermediate having a magnetic field emittinginsert, is described and includes the steps of initially providing asubstantially quadrate sheet the substrate having first and second sideedges and top and bottom ends and first and second faces. Next, amagnetic field emitting piece is placed with the substantially quadratesheet. The magnetic piece is placed such that the poles of the piece areoriented in a parallel arrangement with a direction of travel forprocessing equipment. Once the intermediate has been prepared, thesubstrate with the piece is fed to the processing equipment and finallythe substrate is processed with the piece in operative association withthe substrate.

Additional processing steps used in connection with the foregoingexemplary method includes the steps of folding the substrate to form anoutgoing mail assembly in either a C or Z configuration after the stepof processing. In addition, the present exemplary embodiment alsoincludes the step of placing the outgoing mail piece in the mail so thatthe mail piece may be delivered to the intended recipient of thecommunication.

In a still further embodiment of the present invention, a mailer fortransmitting a magnetic insert is provided and includes first, secondand third panels, each of the panels has a first face and a second face,first and second side edges and first and second end edges. The firstpanel second face is juxtaposed on at least a portion of the first faceof the second panel and the second panel second face is juxtaposed on atleast a portion of the first face of the third panel. The first andsecond panels are joined to one another through a first pattern ofadhesive that is disposed in at least a marginal area. The second andthird panels are joined to one another through a second pattern ofadhesive disposed in at least a marginal area. An insert provided inconnection with the second panel and concealed by at least one of thefirst and third panels and the insert is composed of magnetic material.

These and other objects of the invention will become clear from aninspection of the detailed description of the invention and from theappended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These, as well as other objects and advantages of this invention, willbe more completely understood and appreciated by referring to thefollowing more detailed description of the presently preferred exemplaryembodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, of which:

FIG. 1 depicts the front face of the business form intermediate of thepresent invention having adhesive patterns to effect a Z foldedarrangement;

FIG. 2 shows the back face of the business form intermediate of thepresent invention having adhesive patterns to create a Z foldedarrangement;

FIG. 3 provides a first face of a business form intermediate of thepresent invention having adhesive patterns to create a C foldedarrangement;

FIG. 4 illustrates a second face of a business form intermediate of thepresent invention having adhesive patterns to create a C foldedarrangement;

FIG. 5 depicts a side elevation of an exemplary mailer assembly showingthe insert;

FIG. 6 shows a front view of an exemplary mailer assembly of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic of the orientation of the poles of the magneticinsert contained on an exemplary substrate of the present invention;

FIG. 8 provides an illustration of a stack of sheets having magneticinserts provided in connection with the substrate;

FIG. 9 shows a top view of the stack of FIG. 8 with a cut away of thetop sheet to illustrate the alignment of the poles in a parallelarrangement;

FIG. 10 depicts alternative configurations of the inserts that may besuitable for use with the present invention, and

FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram showing an exemplary method ofprocessing the business form intermediates of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is now illustrated in greater detail by way of thefollowing detailed description which represents the best presently knownmode of carrying out the invention. However, it should be understoodthat this description is not to be used to limit the present invention,but rather, is provided for the purpose of illustrating the generalfeatures of the invention.

Unexpectedly, it has been found that there currently is not a sealablemail piece that is used in the transmission of a magnetic insert to anintended recipient. In addition, it has been found that a stack of suchsubstrates with insert attached thereto can be provided to a printer orother processing equipment if the poles of the inserts of the sheets areplaced in alignment with one another so that the sheets slide along thepoles thereby eliminating the “chatter” when trying to shift magneticpieces off of a stack of similar items.

Processing equipment as used herein includes printers, imaging devices,sorters, diverters, scanners, readers and other equipment that isgenerally used in the processing of business communication documents.

Turning now to FIG. 1 in which the business form intermediate 10 of thepresent invention is depicted. The intermediate has a first or frontface “A” and second or back face “B” (shown in FIG. 2). The intermediate10 has first and second sides 12 and 14, respectively that extendgenerally in the longitudinal direction and first and second or top andbottom ends 16 and 18, respectively that extend generally in thetransverse direction.

The intermediate 10 is provided with first and second fold lines 20 and22 that divides the intermediate into first, second and third panels 24,26 and 28. The first panel 24 is defined by the area between the endedge 16 and first fold line 20 and the side edges 12 and 14. The secondpanel 26 is defined by the area between the first and second fold lines20 and 22 and first and second side edges 12 and 14. The third panel 28is defined by the area between the second fold line 22 and the end edge16 and the side edges 12 and 14.

First and second longitudinally extending lines of weakness 30 and 32are spaced inwardly of side edges 12 and 14 and run substantiallyparallel to the first and second side edges 12 and 14. The lines ofweakness 30 and 32 cooperate with side edges 12 and 14 to form marginalstub areas 31 and 33.

The intermediate 10 of the present invention is provided with first,second and third lines of weakness 34, 36 and 38, which when thesubstrate is folded into an outgoing mailer configuration, willfacilitate the opening of the mailer to gain access to the interior ofthe assembly. Each of the panels 24, 26, and 28 is provided with one ofthe transversely extending lines of weakness 34, 36 and 38. Line 38, inthis embodiment is shown spaced inwardly from end edge 16 while lines 34and 36 are each spaced outwardly from fold line 20. In the presentillustrate, a Z folded intermediate 10 has been provided and as it willbe understood by those with skill in the art, the lines of weaknesswould be positioned differently in the event the intermediate 10 wereconstructed in C fold configuration as will be discussed later.

The front or first face A of the intermediate 10 is provided with atleast a first pattern of adhesive 40 that serves to secure the secondand third panels 26 and 28 together when the mailer is folded in a Zconfiguration. Adhesive pattern 40 is illustrated as being contained inthe marginal stub areas 31 and 33 as well as adjacent end edge 18 andfold line 20. The adhesive pattern depicted may be any suitable adhesivepattern and the adhesive selected may include pressure sealablecohesives, where mating patterns are provided, remoistenable orrewettable adhesives, pressure sensitive adhesives, ones that aregenerally tacky to the touch and such other adhesives as are generallyknown in the industry for sealing panels of a substrate to one another.

FIG. 1 also provides that the first panel 24 has a width that isgenerally less than that of the second and third panels 26 and 28 sothat an uneven or eccentric Z folded mailer configuration can be formed.The second and third panels 26 and 28 have essentially equal widths inthis embodiment. It should be understood, that each of the panels 24, 26and 28 may each have the same width so that the panels are substantiallyequal to one another.

Still referring to FIG. 1, a cutout 42 is provided in the intermediate10 so that the magnetic field emitting insert 44 may be placed into thecutout. The insert 44 is held in position in the cutout by a patch ofmaterial 46 (FIG. 2) such as glassine, paper or the like. The insert 44is desirably held in position through the use of a removable orrepositional adhesive or through a DRI TAC™, available from Ward/Kraft,Inc. of Fort Scott, Kans. 66701 that creates a frangible bond, whichwhen broken will not permit the resealing of the magnet to the area ofthe patch 46 or cutout 42. As also can be seen from the illustration ofFIG. 1, the magnetic insert 44 is sized and configured so as to fitwithin the cutout 42 where a cutout is used. It should be understoodthat the insert may be approximately the entire size of the paneldepending on the needs of the customer or the particular application.However, in the presently described embodiment the insert 44 is aboutthe size of a standard credit card or business card.

The insert 44 is cut from a magnetic material and may be purchased fromStrata-Tac, Inc. of Batavia, Ill. The magnetic material for the insert44 has a thickness ranging from about 3 to approximately 12 mils withabout 5 to around 7 mils being preferred. The substrate that makes upthe intermediate 10 generally is selected from material that is suitablefor forming mailers such as twenty pound bond up to one hundred poundtag stock.

FIG. 2 shows the back or second face B of the intermediate 10 of thepresent invention. The second face B has a patch 46 applied to the areaof the cutout 42 and extends generally outwardly from the periphery ofthe cutout 42. The patch is secured by permanent pressure sensitiveadhesive (not shown) and exemplary patch material may be obtained underthe trademark VIEWTECH™ available from Ward/Kraft, Inc. of Fort Scott,Kans. 66701. FIG. 2 also shows a second adhesive pattern 41 which isused to secure first and second panels 24 and 26 to one another when themailer is folded in a Z configuration to form an outgoing mailerassembly. The second adhesive pattern 41 is generally confined withinthe marginal stub portions 31 and 33 as well as adjacent end edge 16 andfold line 22.

Reference is now directed to FIG. 3 in which a C foldable intermediate100 is provided. In this embodiment, each of the panels 110, 120 and 130are of substantially equal width and length, but it should be understoodthat an uneven or eccentric C foldable configuration may be provided inwhich one of the first or third panels would have a width that is lessthan that of the remaining two panels.

The intermediate has a first face AA and a second face BB (FIG. 4) andis again provided with first and second sides 101 and 102 which extendgenerally longitudinally and top and bottom ends 103 and 104 that extendin the transverse direction. As with the embodiments described inconnection with FIG. 1, the intermediate 100 is provided with first andsecond fold lines 105 and 106, first and second longitudinal lines ofweakness 107 and 108 and first, second and third transverse lines ofweakness 109, 111 and 112.

The front face AA is provided with a first adhesive pattern 125 which isdisposed adjacent the side edges 101 and 102 of the first 110 and thirdpanels 130 and first and second ends 103 and 104. The intermediate 100is provided with a magnetic insert 140 which in this embodiment isprovided on the third panel 130 and is connected directly to the thirdpanel 130. That is no cutout is used as in the FIG. 1 and FIG. 2embodiments. The insert 140 may again be applied by a repostionable orremovable adhesive or through the use of a DRI TAC™ as described above.

FIG. 4 provides the back or second face BB of the C folded embodimentand shows a second adhesive pattern depicted by reference numerals 129and 131. As can be seen from the FIGURE the adhesive pattern is providedadjacent the side edges 101 and 102 and ends 103 and 104. A furtherpattern of adhesive is provided adjacent fold line 105 on second panel120. FIG. 4 also provides the insert 140 depicted in its position byphantom lines to show the area occupied by the insert 140 on face AA inFIG. 3.

FIG. 5 shows a cross section of the uneven Z folded intermediate 10 ofFIGS. 1 and 2 of the present invention. First, second and third panels24, 26 and 28 of the mailer are provided. First panel 24 second face Bis adhered to the first face A of second panel 26 through adhesivepattern 41. As this is an uneven or eccentric Z configuration, firstpanel 24 has a width that is less than the width of the second panel 26.In any event, the first panel 24 has a width that is sufficient to coverthe insert 44 contained in the cutout 42 of the second panel 26.

The second panel 26 second face B is adhered to the first face A ofthird panel 28 through adhesive pattern 40. Again, the third panel 28covers or conceals the insert 44 include the patch 46 that is used tohold the insert 44 in cutout 42. As can be seen the insert 44 is sizedand configured so as to fit within the cutout 42.

FIG. 6 illustrates one of the first and third panels of the completedmailer 150, whether formed in a C or Z format. Marginal stub areas 31and 33 are shown as is the stub 151 created by the additional line ofweakness so that mailer 150 can be opened by removing the stubs to gainaccess to the insert (not shown) of the mailer 150.

The mailer 150 is provided with address indicia 155 as well as postalindicia 156 and 157, such as a FIM code or other postal sorting indicia.The mailer 150 may also be printed with marketing and advertisingindicia.

Turning now to FIG. 7, a schematic is depicted in which a substrate 200for forming the business form intermediate is provided and includes amagnetic insert 210 that has a series of poles (north and south) 220 and230. The poles 220 and 230 are positioned such that they are parallel tothe direction of travel or feed 240 for the printer or other processingdevice 250. In this fashion, the chatter of removing substrates from astack of similar substrates is eliminated as the sheets with the insertsslide relatively easily down the length of the poles 220 and 230.Surprisingly, it has been found that positioning the form intermediate200 in this fashion also prevents the form intermediates 200 fromsplaying out of alignment with the feed direction of the printer as thepoles 220 and 230 aid in guiding the form intermediate in a singledirection. That is, the poles 220 and 230 prevent the form 200 frommaking lateral movement.

FIG. 8 shows a series of form intermediates 200 in a stackedconfiguration with each of the inserts 210 having poles 220, 230oriented so as to be in parallel alignment with one another. Asindicated previously, this prevents the stack of intermediates fromshifting in a direction that is perpendicular to the arrangement of thepoles. This aids in keeping a stack in a regular and uniformarrangement.

FIG. 9 presents a top view of the stack of FIG. 8 in which the uppermostsheet 200 has been cut away to show or reveal a sheet 200* beneath theupper sheet 200. Each of the sheets 200 and 200* are provided withinserts 210 and 210* having respective poles 220 and 230 in parallelalignment with the rest of the poles in the stack configuration.

FIG. 10 provides a further embodiment of the present invention in whichthe business form intermediate 250 can be provided with magnetic fieldemitting inserts 260 and 270 having other than a quadrate configuration.Such other configurations may include geometric, animate, inanimate,alpha, numeric and combinations thereof. In this FIGURE a star 270 andsnowman 260 are provided. The inserts may of course be complimentary ofa particular theme, event or the like or may some how compliment thetrade dress or other insignia of the producer of the form.

FIG. 11 provides a block diagram of an exemplary method of preparing theform intermediates of the present invention. Initially, a first sheet isprovided at first step 300. As indicated previously the sheet isselected from a material that is suitable for forming an outgoing mailersuch as twenty pound bond of cellulosic material. Next, a magnetic pieceis placed on the substrate at step 310. If a cutout is used, the cutoutis first covered on one side or on one face of the sheet material with apatch such as a VIEWTECH™ product as described above and then the insertis placed on the patch and at least temporarily bound to the patch.Alternatively, the insert may be blown or tipped directly on one of thepanels of the construction.

Next, the poles are oriented in the direction of travel of theprocessing equipment at step 320. If the poles of the magnetic materialare pre-existing then the orientation of the poles is determined at thetime the insert is to be placed on the assembly so that the poles havethe proper orientation.

The sheet with the insert provided thereon is then fed to the processingequipment at step 330 for printing, imaging, sorting or such otherhandling as may be dictated by the operator or processor of the piecesto be handled. The sheet with the insert is then processed at step 340such as by printing or imaging.

After the sheet has been processed at step 340, the sheet is then foldedat step 350 and the prepared and mailed at step 360.

It will thus be seen according to the present invention a highlyadvantageous business form having one or more removable field emittinginserts has been provided. While the invention has been described inconnection with what is presently considered to be the most practicaland preferred embodiment, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosedembodiment, that many modifications and equivalent arrangements may bemade thereof within the scope of the invention, which scope is to beaccorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as toencompass all equivalent structures and products.

The inventors hereby state their intent to rely on the Doctrine ofEquivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of theirinvention as it pertains to any apparatus, system, method or article notmaterially departing from but outside the literal scope of the inventionas set out in the following claims.

1. A business form mailer intermediate having at least one fieldemitting insert, comprising; a generally quadrate substrate having firstand second side edges and top and bottom ends and first and secondfaces, said substrate having first and second fold lines substantiallyparallel to said top and bottom ends and generally perpendicular to saidfirst and second side edges, said first and second fold lines dividingsaid substrate into first, second and third panels and said substratehaving a first thickness; said first panel defined by an area betweensaid top end and said first fold line and first and second side edges,said second panel defined by an area between said first and second foldlines and first and second side edges and said third panel defined by anarea between said bottom end, said second fold line and said first andsecond side edges, said second panel is disposed between said first andthird panels; first and second longitudinally extending lines ofweakness running substantially parallel to said first and second sideedges and forming first and second marginal stub portions; first, secondand third transversely extending lines of weakness running substantiallyparallel to said top and bottom ends and perpendicularly to said firstand second longitudinally extending lines of weakness, at least one ofsaid transversely extending lines of weakness is disposed inwardly ofone of said top and bottom ends, and each of said first, second andthird panels having one transversely extending lines of weakness; atleast first and second adhesive patterns, said first adhesive patterndisposed on a portion of said first face of said substrate with at leasta part of said first adhesive pattern provided in each of said first andsecond marginal stub portions for holding at least two of said first,second and third panels together; said second adhesive pattern disposedon a portion of said second face of said substrate with at least a partof said second adhesive pattern provided in each of said first andsecond marginal stub portions for holding at least two of said first,second and third panels together along with said first adhesive patternto form an outgoing mailer assembly; a field emitting piece having amagnetic component and having a size less than the area of one of saidfirst, second and third panels, said field emitting piece having asecond thickness different than said first thickness and covered by atleast one of said first, second or third panels when said substrate isformed into said outgoing mailer assembly.
 2. A business form mailerintermediate as recited in claim 1, wherein one of said first, secondand third panels is provided with a cutout sized and configured toreceive said field emitting piece.
 3. A business form mailerintermediate as recited in claim 2, wherein said cutout is provided witha patch sized and configured to be larger than said cutout to hold saidfield emitting piece in position in said cutout.
 4. A business formmailer intermediate as recited in claim 3, wherein said patch isprovided with a coating to temporarily adhere said field emitting pieceto said patch.
 5. A business form mailer intermediate as recited inclaim 4, wherein said coating is an adhesive coating.
 6. A business formmailer intermediate as recited in claim 4, wherein said coating is afrangible coating.
 7. A business form mailer intermediate as recited inclaim 1, wherein said first panel has an area less than each of saidsecond and third panels so as to form an uneven or eccentric mailerconfiguration.
 8. A business form mailer intermediate as recited inclaim 1, wherein said field emitting piece has a shape selected from agroup including geometric, animate, inanimate, alpha, numeric andcombinations thereof.
 9. A stack of business communication intermediatesfor reducing processing difficulties having field emitting magneticinserts, comprising; a series of substantially quadrate substrates, eachof said substrates having first and second side edges and top and bottomends and first and second faces; at least one field emitting magneticinsert is provided on each of said substantially quadrate substrates andeach of said field emitting magnetic inserts has magnetic poles; saidmagnetic poles of each insert are disposed in a parallel relationshipwith one another while in said stack; and said inserts are positioned oneach of said substantially quadrate substrates when in said stack so asto be in parallel alignment with a direction of feeding of processingequipment.
 10. A stack of business communication intermediates asrecited in claim 9, wherein each of said substrates comprises; first andsecond fold lines substantially parallel to said top and bottom ends andgenerally perpendicular to said first and second side edges, said firstand second fold lines dividing said substrate into first, second andthird panels and said substrate having a first thickness; said firstpanel defined by an area between said top end and said first fold lineand first and second side edges, said second panel defined by an areabetween said first and second fold lines and first and second side edgesand said third panel defined by an area between said bottom end, saidsecond fold line and said first and second side edges, said second panelis disposed between said first and third panels; first and secondlongitudinally extending lines of weakness running substantiallyparallel to said first and second side edges and forming first andsecond marginal stub portions; first, second and third transverselyextending lines of weakness running substantially parallel to said topand bottom ends and perpendicularly to said first and secondlongitudinally extending lines of weakness, at least one of saidtransversely extending lines of weakness is disposed inwardly of one ofsaid top and bottom ends, and each of said first, second and thirdpanels having one transversely extending lines of weakness; at leastfirst and second adhesive patterns, said first adhesive pattern disposedon a portion of said first face of said substrate with at least a partof said first adhesive pattern provided in each of said first and secondmarginal stub portions for holding at least two of said first, secondand third panels together; and said second adhesive pattern disposed ona portion of said second face of said substrate with at least a part ofsaid second adhesive pattern provided in each of said first and secondmarginal stub portions for holding at least two of said first, secondand third panels together to form an outgoing mailer assembly.
 11. Astack of business communication intermediates as recited in claim 9,wherein each of said substrates is provided with a cutout sized andconfigured to receive said insert.
 12. A stack of business communicationintermediates as recited in claim 9, wherein each of said substrates areprovided in a landscape arrangement for said processing equipment.
 13. Astack of business communication intermediates as recited in claim 9,wherein each of said substrates are provided in a portrait arrangementfor said processing equipment.
 14. A stack of business communicationintermediates as recited in claim 9, wherein, each of said substratesare provided to said processing equipment in a outgoing mailer assemblyconfiguration.
 15. A stack of business communication intermediates asrecited in claim 9, wherein said processing equipment is selected from agroup including printing, imaging, sorting, diverting, stacking andcombinations thereof.
 16. A method of processing a business formintermediate having a magnetic field emitting insert, comprising thesteps of; providing a substantially quadrate sheet said substrate havingfirst and second side edges and top and bottom ends and first and secondfaces; placing a magnetic field emitting piece with said substantiallyquadrate sheet; orienting poles of said piece in a parallel arrangementwith a direction of travel for processing equipment; feeding saidsubstrate with said piece to said processing equipment; and processingsaid substrate with said piece.
 17. A method of processing as recited inclaim 16, including a further step of folding said substrate to form anoutgoing mail piece in a C or Z configuration after the step ofprocessing.
 18. A method of processing as recited in claim 17, includinga further step of mailing said outgoing mail piece after the step offolding.
 19. A mailer for transmitting a magnetic insert, comprising;first, second and third panels, each of said panels having a first faceand a second face, first and second side edges and first and second endedges; said first panel second face is juxtaposed on at least a portionof said first face of said second panel and said second panel secondface is juxtaposed on at least a portion of said first face of saidthird panel; said first and second panels are joined to one anotherthrough a first pattern of adhesive disposed in at least a marginalarea; said second and third panels are joined to one another through asecond pattern of adhesive disposed in at least a marginal area; and aninsert provided in connection with said second panel and concealed by atleast one of said first and third panels and said insert composed ofmagnetic material.
 20. A mailer for transmitting a magnetic insert asrecited in claim 19, wherein at least one of said first panel first faceor said third panel second face is provided with address indicia.
 21. Amailer for transmitting a magnetic insert as recited in claim 19,wherein said insert is provided within a cutout in said second panel.22. A mailed for transmitting a magnetic insert as recited in claim 19,wherein said insert is affixed to one of said first and second faces ofsaid second panel.